Through the Years
by Origins89
Summary: The story of how Yuan and Botta met, up to the point where Botta Dies. My very first fanfic! Chapter 4 is finally up, so please review!
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

_I hate him,_ he thought bitterly_. I hate what he's done to me. He's taken everything from me that I ever cherished. He's made a mockery of Martel's last request and killed my closest friend. I won't ever forgive him, and I swear that, if the opportunity comes, his life will be mine._

Botta was working with the chosen's party to shut down the remote island ranch. While Lloyd, the chosen, and the others were fighting Rodyle, Botta was busy converting the ranch's mana to fire at the great seed. He finally succeeded, but when the chosen's group failed to stop Rodyle from activating the ranch's self-destruct system before he perished, Botta gave his life to save them.

As Yuan slumped into his chair in his office at the Sylvarant base, He thought about all the things he was able to accomplish with the help of his deceased friend, Botta. Looking around the office, it's walls blocked by many bookshelves and a vast portrait of his deceased fiancée, he thought about how he and Botta had first met, all those long years ago…

Chapter 1

Sixteen Years Ago

Blistering wind blew through the ice-cold land of Flanoir. The ground crunched under the feet of a man as he trudged up to the front doors of the Tethe'alla renegade base. The cold wind blew violently through his long black cape as he finally got to the top of the stairs. Punching in the code, he stepped through the large doors as they opened and closed behind him.

The man was short, but strong, with neck-length electric-blue hair, dark blue eyes, and a no-nonsense look that gave him the air of unconditional authority. Underneath his cape, which had draped back over his shoulders now it was out of the wind, he wore a red breastplate that was adorned with blue and yellow symbols. On his back was strapped a double-ended sword, which had the same patterns as his armor.

This was Yuan, fourth Seraphim of Cruxis, and leader of the Renegades.

He walked briskly to his quarters, passing several groups of soldiers as they walked by on either minor missions, or just wandering around, looking for something to do. All of them came briskly to attention as he passed, and he acknowledged them with a nod, and kept going. He was in no mood to talk with anyone right now. When he finally got to his room, he slumped down in the chair behind the large oak desk and ran a hand across his brow.

He had just returned from meeting with "Lord" Yggdrasil, the twisted ruler of Cruxis, about another one of his schemes. This time, the angel had decided that the exspheres of Sylvarant weren't being manufactured as quickly anymore, so he had decided to send Yuan to investigate the reason. Another of the Seraphim, Kratos, accompanied Yuan on this. After talking to the five Desian Grand Cardinals, they discovered that the number of human hosts was decreasing. After discussing this with Yggdrasil, Yuan, who inwardly hated to, ordered the Grand Cardinals to attack the nearby towns to gain more prisoners.

_Kratos,_ thought Yuan, _what are you up to? You definitely aren't pleased with the way things are, but you still support him. Why? _Not getting any answer, from himself or anybody, Yuan returned to the problem at hand.

It was getting increasingly difficult to worm his way around Cruxis' leader, and he was running out of ideas to his questions as to why he was gone for so long at periods of time. His inquiries were getting increasingly persistent, and he was afraid that, sooner or later, his double-agent role would be exposed.

_Unless…_

He sat bolt upright, an idea suddenly running through his entire being. He needed someone who would act as the Renegades leader in the open, while he actually led them behind the scenes. It would be risky, but it would draw Yggdrasil's attention off him, making him free to be the Renegades leader and not having any suspicion on his name.

The problem was, however, finding someone who would be willing to fill in as the second leader. After running through the files of the recruits currently under him, he grew exasperated. None of his men seemed fit for the job. Granted, there was one or two who were physically able for the job, but Yuan wanted someone who was intelligent as well as resilient, but none of his men, though having the right heart, didn't seem fit for the dangerous position.

There was only one thing for him to do. Grabbing his cape, which he had hung up when he entered his room, he headed towards the entrance of the base. He needed to find someone, someone tough and smart, to act as the Renegades leader. To do that, he would have to search through both worlds in order to find the perfect person for the job. It would take some time, but he was willing to undergo the search.

Just as Yuan was about to reach the entrance to the base, however, he was stopped by a lieutenant, who seemed very agitated about something.

"Sir, I have just received word that-"

"Not now, I'll see to whatever it is later," he said, trying to shake off the determined soldier.

"But sir, some of the men have-"

"Not now, Lieutenant! I'll see to it when I get back."

"But sir! There was a-"

"Fine, what is it!" he said, coming to a full stop and, highly annoyed, turned to face the Lieutenant.

He quailed under his leader's hard stare for a moment, then said, a little fearful, "A few men noticed that a man was seen outside our door, and went to capture him for questioning. He wounded four of them before they beat him into unconsciousness. When he awoke, he would only say that he has information that you would be interested in, and wishes to discuss it with you." After finishing his report, the Lieutenant stood to attention, waiting for his leader's response.

Yuan stood there, slightly shocked, though he didn't show it. He couldn't believe that someone would be able to find this base in the middle of a snowstorm. He was also amazed that he could wound four well-trained men before being captured. He felt a small amount of respect for the man rise. After a while, he said, simply "I see. Where is he being held right now?"

"He is in cell 6-g, sir."

"Did he mention a name, by any chance?"

"No, sir, only that he has information to discuss with you. He was carrying this when they apprehended him." He held out a long blood-red scimitar. Yuan inspected the weapon, and found an exsphere embedded above the handle.

"Very well. Have the guards bring him to my quarters immediately. I want to hear what this man's information is."

"Yes, sir!" The lieutenant said, saluting, before carrying out his duty. Yuan slowly walked back to his quarters, carrying the sword, with one thought on his mind: _maybe I won't have to search the worlds, after all._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The captive was taller than Yuan, with short, brown hair and goatee, and light brown eyes. He wore a long, tan trench coat, with a belt holding it close to him. One of the sleeves had been removed, revealing a muscular arm. Though shackles had been placed on his wrists, he gave the feeling that he was in control of the situation. Something that amused and annoyed Yuan at the same time. He had a bored look on his face, and appeared to be someone who was used to giving orders.

Yuan paced around the man, sizing him up. With a curt nod, Yuan ordered the two guards that brought him to remove the shackles and leave the room, before walking behind his desk and sitting down in the chair.

"So, what information do you have that I don't?" He said to the prisoner, an amused tone in his voice.

The man said nothing, however, but rubbed the places where the shackles had cut his skin and glanced around the room. Finally he murmured, in a deep voice, " So, this is the Tethe'alla base for the renegades."

Yuan smiled humorlessly. "I'm surprised that you can tell the difference between us and the Desians. Now, what information do you have?" his annoyance growing at the look on the prisoners face.

The man looked at him with slight distaste, then said, "I have just recently received word that the new chosen of Sylvarant has been born, and now resides in the village of Iselia." He said, his voice full of contempt.

Yuan was startled at this news, not only because of the new chosen's birth, but because this man, whoever he was, new about Sylvarant! As far as he knew, only the Renegades, Cruxis, and the Desians knew about the two entwined worlds.

"How do you know about the existence of Sylvarant?" he asked, his voice still calm.

"I, myself, am from Luin, on the Asgard continent," he said, just as calmly. "I came to Tethe'alla through the otherworldly gate, and have been searching for this,…" he thought hard to find the right word "…establishment to inform its leader of the chosen's birth. Now that I have, I'll be on my way." He turned to go, but was stopped by Yuan's question: "You are a half-elf, aren't you?"

The man turned, placing a hand to his ear to feel the slight point in them. He looked straight into Yuan's eyes, then said, in a voice full of pride, "Yes, I am indeed a half-elf."

Yuan's next question caught him slightly off guard. "Do you know the truth behind Cruxis?"

He looked at Yuan for a while, then asked, trying to keep the conversation light, "the truth?"

"Yes," said Yuan, standing up and walking to the front of his desk, "Cruxis is thought to be an order of angels who govern over the worlds, but, in truth, is mainly comprised of half-elves like us," as he said this, he briefly pulled his hair away from his ear, exposing the point. "Their leader, Lord Yggdrasil, wishes to revive his sister, Martel. In order to accomplish this, he places a Cruxis crystal, onto certain newborns, who then become the chosen." As he spoke, Yuan watched the expression on the man's face. He was amused to see a look of slight horror and anger on his face, which was exactly what he wanted.

After he finished speaking, he waited to see a reaction. The man looked down at the floor, muttering, "such a cruel thing to happen to anyone."

"Yes," said Yuan, " and that is exactly what we, the renegades, oppose. Our goal is to eventually reawaken the great seed, an combine the two worlds back into one."

The man looked up at this, then asked, "If Cruxis is as powerful as you say, then why haven't they stopped you yet?"

Yuan stood there, contemplating how much to tell him. He was a stranger, yet, for some reason, he felt he could trust him with the truth. So, he said, bluntly, "Because, to him, I am one of the four Seraphim of Cruxis." Here, he drew out his wings, which varied in color from light blue to aquamarine. The man took a step back, eyes wide with surprise. Yuan withdrew the wings and continued. "what he doesn't know is that I'm the leader of the Renegades as well."

The man looked at him with a newfound respect, but before he could get any words out, Yuan asked, "Do you think your fit for a high-level post of the renegades, and of a task for the betterment of the worlds?"

He straightened up at these words, and said, with a voice full of self-confidence, "I believe that I am capable of anything."

"Good," said Yuan, a half-smile coming to his lips. "By the way, the guards didn't catch your name."

The newest member of the Renegades also smiled. "I am called Botta, sir." All the contempt was gone from his voice

"Then, Botta, you are my new second-in-command, and will act as the renegades leader on the open. Have the guards take you to your new quarters on the floor below." Yuan said, holding out a hand in welcome.

Botta took it, shook it firmly, and left the room, shoulders set and eyes fixed ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sixteen Years Later

"Where is the chosen?" Botta demanded of an old woman outside of the temple of Martel. The old woman, who had blonde hair and leaned heavily on a walking stick, backed up into the doorway to the temple. As his men closed in, the old woman looked over his shoulder. Her eyes went wide. "Run Collete!" she yelled.

"Lord Botta, There she is!" said one of his men. Turning, Botta saw three children at the top of the stairway that led to the temple. The smallest had a blue shirt with gray trimming and a pair of blue shorts. He swung a kendama around, and Botta could immediately tell he was a half-elf by the scent of mana emanating from him.

Next to the half-elf, a girl, clearly the chosen, stood. She had long blonde hair, cheerful blue eyes, and a long white coat and black pants. In her hands, she held two chakrams. Next to her, a solidly built boy leaned on the two sword hilts tucked into his belt. He wore a red jacket and had short, spiky brown hair, and solemn brown eyes. A bandage had been wrapped around his hand, and, from the bulge it made, Botta assumed an exsphere hid underneath.

Facing the girl, Botta declared, "Chosen one, your life is mine," the swordsman drew one of his swords in a business-like way, and yelled back "I won't let you Desians get away with anything!"

"Desians? Hahahahahahahahaha!" laughed one of my men. It was rather amusing to us that, no matter what we did, the Desians were always blamed for it. "What's so funny!" asked the half-elf. The soldier who laughed smirked, then said "well then, die at the hands of the desians you so hate. Get them!" and he, with two other men, charged the children.

Botta stood back, watching the fight. It was obvious that these kids knew how to use their weapons, and to great effect. The soldiers had a hard time of it. Between the half-elf casting spells at them, the chosen throwing her chakrams at them, and the almost berserker-like style of the swordsman, the three were finally defeated.

As the disgraced soldiers ran away, Botta signaled for Vidarr, an elite soldier, to engage the children. Vidarr was the juggernaut in the ranks of the desians. His armor was several sizes too small, his helmet was adorned with two ram horns on either side of his head, and he wielded a huge mace, war hammer, and a broadsword, which was in the sheath on his back.

As he fought the children, it was clear that they were weakening. The half-elf mage stopped using spells, and slumped onto the ground, having used up most of his mana. The chosen and the swordsman followed soon after. The battle was definitely favored on Vidarr's side.

Just as Vidarr was about to deal the final blow, however, a clang of metal on metal, followed by Vidarr flying backwards, signified the entrance of another swordsman to the fight. This new swordsman had long red hair, which covered half of his face. He had a purple battle suit on, with a split cape that hung over his shoulders.

Botta cursed under his breath. _What the hell is Kratos doing here!_ He thought. _Had Cruxis sent him to guard the chosen? Or had he come on his own will?_ Botta wasn't sure, but he knew that once his mission was completed, Yuan would want to be notified of this.

"Who…who are you?" asked the brown-haired boy, looking at Kratos with amazement. Kratos, ever the one to not give overly-complicated speeches, simply glanced at him, and said, flatly "get out of the way" before turning back to Vidarr and charging forward. After a few moments, the Children jumped in.

The battle suddenly took a turn for the worst. As Kratos and the children attacked Vidarr, he continued to lose ground. He was big and strong enough, but not all that fast. Whenever he would turn to attack someone, another would come up from behind and attack, causing a lot of damage each time. After what seemed hours, though it was only a few minutes, the giant finally fell, unconscious, to the ground with a dull thud.

As Kratos sheathed his sword, Botta, who had watched the entire thing, said, his voice full of anger, "I never thought you'd show up here. Damn! Retreat for now!" with that, he ran down the stairs, his men following behind, carrying the still unconscious Vidarr between them.

A Few days Later

"You're quite sure it was Kratos?" Yuan asked Botta, back at the Base in Triet desert. Botta had just returned, and had delivered the news of his failure to eliminate the chosen along with the sighting of Kratos.

"I am positive, sir. He had long red hair and a cruxis crystal. That is how you described him to me," he said, looking into his commander's eyes.

Yuan sighed and sat down heavily on his chair. The bases in both worlds were almost exactly alike, to add simplicity to those who had inter-world missions to fulfill. His office, as well as Botta's quarters on the floor above, were in the same place as it was in Tethe'alla.

"and Kratos, along with _children_, were able to defeat three of your men and Vidarr?" Yuan asked, not angry, but more shocked at the fact that Botta's force, which Botta had personally trained, were beaten by such opponents. Botta could only nod. What else was there to do, when his elite force had been beaten by kids?

Yuan shook his head, and said, "Go and check on your men. I'll summon for you later." Botta nodded, and walked towards the door. As he was about to walk through it, he paused. "Yes?" asked Yuan, reading the puzzled look on Botta's mind.

Botta looked at him, wondering if he would understand something that had been on his mind ever since the encounter. "Sir, one of the children, the swordsman in the red jacket, bore an uncanny resemblance to Kratos. Do you know why, by any chance?"

Yuan looked at him, his expression unreadable. He knew that Kratos had had a wife, a smart and beautiful woman named Anna, and that she had given birth to a son. But when the boy was three years old, Anna's exphsere had been removed, turning her into a monster. Kratos had slain her in order to save her from the monstrous form, and she had fallen down a cliff, clutching the toddler to her. When Kratos had flown down to find her, she, and the boy whom they had called Lloyd, had vanished.

Yuan didn't think Botta needed to know that right no, though. "No, I haven't any idea. Kratos knows a lot of people who look somewhat like him. It's probably just a coincidence."

"I see. Thank you for clearing that up for me" Botta said, before exiting the room. Yuan, now alone, sat in his own personal thoughts. Had Kratos' child survived, and if so, how could he use this knowledge? After a while, he realized that, if it were indeed Kratos' son, he could use him to have Kratos lift the seal on Origin, the summon spirit of time and space. In order for Kratos to do this, however, he would have to release all the mana from his body.

_What should I do?_ He thought to himself, _should I confront Kratos about this boy or should I act on mere guesses?_ He eventually decided to let the situation develop, and to study this boy, the one with the strange exsphere. Having finally decided on this, he got up to leave. Just as he was about to leave, however, a boy ran right into the room!


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry I haven't updated this story in a while. I got side tracked with another story. Anyway, here you go!

WARNING! Spoilers in this chapter! Read at your own risk!

Chapter 4

Yuan had had no idea that there was a price on the boy's head. He'd had no idea that his men had captured him. He didn't know how he had escaped either. The only thing he knew was that a strange boy had barged into his room and hadn't even noticed Yuan was there!

The boy was just as Botta had described him: short brown hair, red jacket, and double swords. He was slightly shorter than Yuan, but since he was a kid, that was to be expected.

After about a minute, in which the boy _still _didn't notice Yuan, he sighed. "Whew, that was close." Yuan, still perplexed and annoyed at the ignorance of the kid, decided to make his presence known. Crossing his arms, he asked, coldly, "And just who the hell are you?"

The boy started, then finally turned to face him. Yuan raised his hand towards him, and a ball of electricity formed around it. The kid's eyes grew wide, then they narrowed. Shrugging, he replied' "give me your name, and I shall give you mine."

Yuan shook his head. The fact that the boy wasn't cowering in fear was enough to make him think that he was used to threats. "Ha ha, you certainly have guts," he said, with a smirk, "but I don't see the need to introduce myself to an inferior little creature like you." he wanted to make him mad, to make him make a mistake. Even though Yuan could easily take out this boy, he liked to have every card in his advantage.

Far from angered, however, the boy shrugged. "what a coincidence," he said, "'cause I don't see the reason to introduce myself to a moron who doesn't realize how pathetic he is."

**That** made Yuan mad. "Why you little-" As he was about to release the ball of electricity, the boy threw up his arms to guard himself. There, on his hand was an exsphere. That alone wouldn't have surprised him, but the color… was the same as the one that Kratos' wife, Anna, had had! Yuan knew that hers had been one of a kind, but she had changed into a monster when it was removed, and fallen off a cliff, with her son clutched in her- her son!

"An exsphere! You're…Lloyd!' he asked, incredulous at the exsphere's appearance. The boy, slightly surprised that Yuan guessed his name in one go, glanced at the exsphere, then looked up at Yuan. "and if I am?" Yuan looked into his face. It was there, clearer than he could have imagined: this was Lloyd, Kratos' son! His eyes were as intense as Kratos', but showed much more emotion. The shape of the nose was the same, and, if his hair were longer, it would be almost exactly like that of Kratos.

Yuan stepped closer to Lloyd, seeing more and more of Kratos in the boy. "Hmm, I see the resemblance" he said, more to himself than Lloyd. Lloyd was definitely confused at that.

Suddenly, the alarm started blaring all over the base. As Yuan glanced up, Lloyd drew one of his swords, ready for a fight. Yuan simply turned away from him. He didn't plan on fighting him here. And besides, he had plans for him, now that he was sure of Lloyd's heritage. The surprised look on his face almost made Yuan laugh.

Just then, Botta came running in, along with two of his soldiers. "Sir, we've received reports that the Chosen's group has infiltrated the facility!" he said. Yuan's eyes went wide. _How the hell did they get in! The base's guard system should have stopped them at the door!_ As he was about to enquire, however, Lloyd said, looking at Botta, exclaimed, "You… you're the Desian that attacked Iselia!"

Botta glanced at Lloyd, registering him being in the room for the first time. He looked over towards Yuan, who nodded. Botta understood, and addressed the youth. "So you're Lloyd…. Now this is amusing." Yuan was about to speak, when he remembered Botta's report earlier. _Oh crap, _He realized,_ Kratos is with them!_ "Botta, I'm leaving for now. Are plans are ruined if he sees me!" Botta nodded, and Yuan left the room.

Yuan needed to get out of there. Not just because he didn't want to be noticed by Kratos, but also because he needed to think. Hurrying to the rheiard hangar, he boarded his personal one, a deep blue one with green streaks. he started it up and exited the base with all speed.

Flying had always calmed him down after particularly stressful days. Today, however, he needed a place where he could sit for a while and think without being disturbed. Looking down towards the ground, he spotted the Linkite tree that grew near the base. _Perfect,_ he thought, angling towards it.

When he landed, he walked over to the tree to examine it. It was withered and gray, long dead to the years gone by. Yuan still found the spot peaceful, though, and sat down next to the tree.

"How long have you been here?" he asked the tree. Even though the tree didn't respond, he continued. "Were you here during the Kharlan war? The war between humans and elves that nearly ripped the planet asunder? Were you just a little seedling when we saved the world, but at the cost of Martel's life?"

sighing, he looked down at the ring that Martel had given to him. "I miss her so much. Even after four-thousand years, my heart still aches for her sweet laughter. She laughed a lot you know; she was always smiling, even when things were hard." Sighing again, his thoughts turned to Kratos.

Yuan punched the tree with the back of his fist. "why does he always get in my way? He knows what Yggdrassil's doing is wrong, but he continues to serve him! Why!" lost for an answer, he slumped against the Linkite tree.

He didn't know how long he sat there. After a while, the communication device in the Rheiard started beeping. Hurrying over to it, he turned it on and spoke into the receiver. "Botta, is that you? come in, over."

He listened to the static for a while, then heard Botta's voice coming through the other end. "ah. There you are, sir! We had searched both bases and hadn't found you in either."

Yuan allowed a small smile to spread across his face. "well, I tend do disappear like that every now and then. Did you defeat the chosen's party?"

He heard a little mumbling in the background, then Botta spoke again. "Uh, I'm afraid that they… well… they were stronger than we had first anticipated, and…"

"you didn't defeat them, did you?" Yuan asked, to forestall more rambling.

Silence, then "…No, we did not. They overpowered us and escaped. My most sincere apologies."

Yuan sighed, more exasperated than angry. "were there any casualties on our side?"

"No, but the soldiers who accompanied me were badly wounded. I myself was injured more than once…."

Yuan wondered how a bunch of children could overpower and wound fully-trained soldiers, but decided not to say anything. If there was one thing that Botta cherished above all things, it was his pride. "very well, get some rest. I'll be back shortly."

"Will do, sir. Over and out."

Yuan turned the device off, then swung into the seat. Even though he didn't have the answers he needed, he needed to get back to the base. Revving the engine, he took off towards the base, thinking about the boy who had barged into his room. He decided to keep tabs on him, and wait for the right moment. _After all,_ he said, with a cold smile on his face, _why shouldn't I make sure that the son of an old colleague is kept safe?_

Well, there you have it! Again, sorry this took so long, I've been busy with another story ("So much for peace", should anyone care) please read and review, they bring me happy times!


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